Friday, 1 September 2017

My New Home Aesthetic

Ever since we decided to move house I have been mentally planning out what I wanted the new house to look like and it feels so good now, a few weeks into the new home, to sit back and see all my hard work has paid off!

When I get an idea into my mind it's all I can think about and when I decided on the aesthetic for the new house it kind of took over my life for a little while. I was continually scrolling Instagram for inspiration and writing many lists of the shops and brands who fitted the style I was hoping to achieve.

Earlier this year I watched the Minimalism documentary and it literally shook me. Something hasn't resonated with me so much since deciding to go vegan. I looked around me and realised I wasn't even living the life I wanted to be as I was surrounded by junk and things that weren't making me happy anymore. My life felt so unnecessarily cluttered and I suddenly had a huge urge to have a massive clear out and start again. I questioned why I was living how I was when I admired and loved so much the look of other peoples homes. It was almost like I was just putting up with how things were when really I was the only person who had the power to make changes.

Fortunately for us this whole revelation came at a time when we were looking to buy a new house anyway so it really did seem to present itself at the most perfect moment. A big clear out would have been in order anyway but this time I felt way more ruthless than I have ever done before. I was determined to only take with us the things I absolutely loved and needed for a purpose. I also knew that a lot of our existing 'shabby chic' furniture wasn't really going to work in our new minimal home so I decided to sell a lot of it and buy new things that fitted the style we were aiming for.

It feels amazing to now be in love with my home. I keep taking photos of different areas of it and then I almost gasp when I look back at them because I can't quite believe this is now where I live! It looks like everything I had imagined it would be and more. It looks like the interiors I used to lust over on Instagram and I have to say I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself and what I have managed to achieve in only a few weeks.

The overall aesthetic I was aiming for was 'Minimal Scandi'. To be honest I am not even sure if that's a thing as such or if I have just made it up (*I am pretty new to this interior blogging malarky!), but I knew I loved the look of minimal spaces and ones with a Scandinavian influence. I didn't want our home to feel stark or completely bare of things and I knew I'd never be able to achieve that anyway because there are certain things I love too much to ever do away with. I also don't think minimalism is about living with nothing and you can kind of take it as far as you like. I wanted to find a balance between a clean and tidy home with minimal clutter, but one that also felt warm, cosy and welcoming.

The main appeals of minimal living for me are white walls which just make this home feel so much brighter and lighter than our previous house. Taking photos and videos has suddenly become so easy and everything looks so much more photogenic. Everything also goes with white so rather than having colours on the walls the colour is coming from our furniture, plants and homewares. White walls also help to make the space feel a lot bigger too which is always a bonus. One thing that I have definitely noticed is how I now feel less stressed with more bare walls. Before I used to feel a need to fill any empty spaces with prints and artwork but I now know how serene it feels to just have bare walls. I have put one or two pictures up but I've really had to hold myself back from adding anymore to it.

Another aspect of minimalism I wanted to achieve was clearer spaces. I didn't want so much junk laying around and I wanted to be able to see clear surfaces, particularly in our main living and kitchen area. This has been quite a challenge to achieve but I think we've just about got there. Although I am still working out if there are certain things that can be hidden away like our microwave. This again has really helped me to feel more relaxed in my home. I actually can't believe how stressed all my trinkets were making me feel before. When you take it all away it really is quite enlightening.

From the Scandinavian point of view I wanted to take more natural elements into our home. For example we knew we wanted solid wood flooring throughout the entire house because, not only is this more practical with the pets, but it also looks cleaner and more pleasing against the white walls. Getting the flooring laid was our number one priority when we moved in and did mean a couple weeks of complete upheaval but I'm so pleased we went for it because it just looks perfect.

Other Scandi influences I like are faux fur throws and rugs, contemporary design furniture and more indoor house plants. I think it would be fair to say that I have become a little obsessed with house plants and my collection just keeps growing and growing. But they look so great and have definitely helped the house to feel less stark and more homely. I am also really enjoying looking after them and discovering new ones to add into the mix.

When it has come to buying key pieces of furniture this time around I have really tried to go for pieces that are of a high quality and that I know will last us a very long time. In the past we have tended to opt for the cheapest options but I think investing in certain items that we really adore has brought us a real sense of pride in our home this time around. I also think from the minimal point of view it is better to have less but more high quality items which can be a real focal point in the rooms.

A big love of mine over the past year or so has been copper and rose gold and so where I have been able to add in some of this into the mix of things I have, e.g. light fittings, mirrors and small accessories. These also really stand out and look great against the white backdrop.

I'm so happy with the final outcome of our new home and it really does feel like the interior I have been dreaming about. Everything has just come together so well and, despite feeling challenging at times, it has all been worth it. This whole journey has made me realise how important it is to really love the space you spend most of your time in and it can really help other aspects of your life too i.e. feeling less stressed and happier.

I think going forward I am definitely not going to hoard as much stuff as before. I am determined to keep this house free from clutter and useless junk. I am holding back on the buying of trinkets and bits and bobs as I now know how little I need them to feel content in my home. I also won't be afraid to change things up as and when I feel the need to. If I begin to feel unhappy with anything here then I want to change it rather than settling with it how it is. If a major new style or trend comes in that I completely fall in love with then I want to feel the freedom to embrace new things more and to not feel like I have to stick with how things are for years and years.